On-site Survey of 455 Cargo Truck Owners on 'Return to Work'... Administrative Sanctions for Non-compliance

455 Employees' Return Deadline Ends
Cement Shipment 24,000 Tons Over 4 Days
Fuel Shortage Expands to 81 Stations
Government Establishes Regulations to Cancel Freight Transport Worker Qualifications

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Min-young] Starting from the 5th, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport will check the work resumption status of transport companies or truck owners who received work commencement orders during the first investigation last week.

According to the Ministry, the investigation targets include 33 transport companies that were issued orders during the first investigation and 11 companies whose clients were found not to have requested transportation. The issuance of orders was completed on the 2nd, and the deadline for work resumption ended at midnight on the 4th.

For truck owners, the targets include 191 individuals who received the order by mail by the 2nd and 264 individuals who were sent the order via text message due to unconfirmed addresses, totaling 455 people. The Ministry plans to establish an investigation schedule in the order in which the orders were issued during the first investigation and revisit the respective transport companies sequentially.

The labor sector continues to oppose, claiming that the government's work commencement orders and on-site investigations infringe on constitutionally guaranteed fundamental rights. The Public Transport Union has demanded the withdrawal of the work commencement orders, stating that the government is violating labor rights guaranteed by the constitution, and has requested the Human Rights Commission to express its opinion.

Meanwhile, according to the National Police Agency, the number of participants in rallies related to the collective transport refusal on Sunday the 4th was 2,500, which is 64% of the 3,900 participants recorded the previous week on October 27.

On the 12th day of the Cargo Solidarity strike, despite there normally being no cement shipments on Sundays, 24,000 tons were shipped on the 4th, mainly emergency shipments. The nighttime container handling volume at 12 major ports nationwide was 188% of the volume on Monday, November 28, last week.

Earlier, on the 1st, the Ministry designated BTC (towed cement transport trucks) and BCC (integrated cement transport trucks) vehicles as emergency transport vehicles until the collective transport refusal ends, to enhance cement transport capacity.

The government expanded the allowance of private commercial transport, which previously applied only to general cargo trucks (8 tons or more), towed trucks, and tank trucks, to include grain and feed transport vehicles starting from this day. Additionally, the exemption from highway tolls, which previously applied only to towed trucks of 10 tons or more (both commercial and private commercial transport permitted vehicles), will now apply to all vehicles permitted for private commercial transport.

Furthermore, from the 2nd to the 4th, a total of 582 cement transport vehicles received temporary permits for overloaded vehicle passage. As a result, vehicles with a maximum load capacity of 26 tons can now carry up to 30 tons.

As of 11 a.m. on the 4th, 81 gas stations were out of stock: 53 in the metropolitan area and 28 in Gangwon, Chungnam, and Chungbuk regions.

As the Cargo Solidarity strike continues, the government held a "Cargo Solidarity Collective Transport Refusal Related Ministerial Countermeasure Meeting" chaired by President Yoon Seok-yeol the previous day and decided to initiate judicial and administrative procedures against transport refusal acts. Accordingly, regulations will be established to revoke cargo transport worker qualifications for transport obstruction acts, which currently lack sufficient punishment provisions under the Motor Truck Transport Business Act. Also, truck owners refusing transport will be denied fuel subsidies and highway toll payments for one year. Those who refuse to resume work and the executive members who instigate or aid violations of work commencement orders will be fully prosecuted through investigations.